Phosphite (Phi) and phosphate (Pi) share the same root uptake system, but Phi acts as a biostimulant that modulates plant growth and disease resistance in a species‑ and Pi‑dependent manner. In Arabidopsis, Phi induces hypersensitive‑like cell death and enhances resistance to Plectosphaerella cucumerina, while in rice it counteracts Pi‑induced susceptibility to Magnaporthe oryzae and Fusarium fujikuroi, accompanied by extensive transcriptional reprogramming.

The study generated the first single‑nucleus RNA‑sequencing dataset of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) roots colonized by the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Rhizophagus irregularis, revealing distinct transcriptional programs in epidermal and cortical cells across stages of arbuscule development. Using unsupervised subclustering and a Motif‑Informed Network Inference (MINI‑EX) approach, the authors identified candidate transcription factors that may coordinate cell‑cycle reactivation and nutrient integration during symbiosis, offering a resource for future functional genetics.

The study assessed three savory essential oil–based formulations for controlling early blight caused by Alternaria solani in tomato, finding that formulation CC2020 most effectively reduced disease severity in both in vitro and greenhouse trials. CC2020 also helped maintain tomato fruit vitamin C levels and lowered fungal melanin production, indicating dual benefits for disease suppression and fruit quality.

The study examined leaf pavement cell shape complexity across a natural European aspen (Populus tremula) population, using GWAS to pinpoint the transcription factor MYB305a as a regulator of cell geometry. Functional validation showed that MYB305a expression is induced by drought and contributes to shape simplification, with cell complexity negatively correlated with water-use efficiency and climatic variables of the genotypes' origin.

The study introduces a hybrid modeling framework that integrates a logistic ordinary differential equation with a Long Short-Term Memory neural network to form a Physics-Informed Neural Network (PINN) for predicting wheat plant height. Using only time and temperature as inputs, the PINN outperformed other longitudinal growth models, achieving the lowest average RMSE and reduced variability across multiple random initializations. The results suggest that embedding biological growth constraints within data‑driven models can substantially improve prediction accuracy for plant traits.

A genome‑wide association study of 187 bread wheat genotypes identified 812 significant loci linked to 25 spectral vegetation indices under rainfed drought conditions, revealing a major QTL hotspot on chromosome 2A that accounts for up to 20% of variance in greenness and pigment traits. Candidate gene analysis at this hotspot uncovered stress‑responsive genes, demonstrating that vegetation indices are heritable digital phenotypes useful for selection and genetic analysis of drought resilience.

The study examined how elevated atmospheric CO₂ (550 ppm) affects immunity in the C₄ cereal maize (Zea mays L.) by exposing plants grown under ambient and elevated CO₂ to a range of pathogens. Elevated CO₂ increased susceptibility to sugarcane mosaic virus, decreased susceptibility to several bacterial and fungal pathogens, and left susceptibility to others unchanged, with reduced bacterial disease linked to heightened basal immune responses. These findings provide a baseline for future investigations into CO₂‑responsive defense mechanisms in C₄ crops.

The study shows that maize plants carrying autophagy-defective atg10 mutations exhibit delayed flowering and significant reductions in kernel size, weight, and number, culminating in lower grain yield. Reciprocal crossing experiments reveal that the maternal genotype, rather than the seed genotype, primarily drives the observed kernel defects, suggesting impaired nutrient remobilization from maternal tissues during seed development.

Using the bryophyte Physcomitrium patens, the study shows that loss of autophagy enhances auxin‑driven caulonemata differentiation and colony expansion under low nitrogen or imbalanced carbon/nitrogen conditions, accompanied by higher internal IAA, reduced PpPINA expression, and up‑regulated RSL transcription factors. Autophagy appears to suppress auxin‑induced differentiation during nutrient stress, acting as a hub that balances metabolic cues with hormonal signaling.

Thermopriming enhances heat stress tolerance by orchestrating protein maintenance pathways: it activates the heat shock response (HSR) via HSFA1 and the unfolded protein response (UPR) while modulating autophagy to clear damaged proteins. Unprimed seedlings cannot mount these responses, leading to proteostasis collapse, protein aggregation, and death, highlighting the primacy of HSR and protein maintenance over clearance mechanisms.